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4 Gerah Hacksilber ingot
| Issuer | Ancient Israel / Judah |
|---|---|
| Year | 930 BC - 586 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 4 Gerah = ⅕ Shekel (0.2) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse presents the same undecorated, rough-cast silver surface as the obverse, characteristic of pre-monetary hacksilber used as commodity money by weight. Slight flattening on one face may reflect handling or deliberate shaping to facilitate weighing. The surface shows natural toning and minor surface porosity typical of ancient cast silver objects from the Iron Age Levant. No inscriptions, symbols, or mint marks are present on any face of the ingot. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (930 BC - 586 BC) |
| Additional information |
Hacksilber — weighed silver used as currency by mass rather than by denomination — was the dominant means of exchange across the Levant for centuries before struck coinage arrived. This piece conforms to the gerah standard, the smallest unit in the shekel weight system codified in Mosaic law, where 20 gerah equaled one shekel. Merchants and temple administrators would have verified such pieces against stone or bronze weights, many of which survive from Iron Age Israelite sites including Lachish and the City of David excavations.
The bracket 930–586 BC spans the divided monarchy through the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem.